English-only group targets Bridgestone

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Brandon Gee

Staff Writer

(Page 2 of 3)

A Virginia advocacy organization linked to hate groups has squared off against an international giant and darling of the Middle Tennessee business community in the latest round of debate over English-only legislation.

Arlington, Va.-based ProEnglish sent an e-mail to supporters last week blasting Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas Inc. for opposing a law that would require all driver’s license exams to be conducted in English. The e-mail argues the tire company is opposing legislation “that strengthens road safety and saves taxpayers money.”

But money is not the issue. And it’s more than just a fight over driver’s exams, business leaders say.

The four largest chambers of commerce in the state oppose the law, defining the battle as one of image and ideology rather than public safety. Proponents describe the legislation as an effort to keep roads safe, while opponents contend the bill is aimed at gaining a foothold for more foreign-language restrictions.

Bridgestone Americas, the U.S. affiliate of the larger Japanese company, employs about 3,500 people in Tennessee.

The company, and the state business community in general, believe House Bill 242/Senate Bill 63 is unfriendly to businesses.

Eddie V. Garcia, an Hispanic Nashville musician lobbying in favor of the legislation, called Bridgestone an “un-American” company in a blog post last week. Both his post and the ProEnglish e-mail mentioned Bridgestone Americas Executive Vice President Christine Karbowiak by name and provided contact information.

The move has created a firestorm among business leaders and organizations, including the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

“When we’re trying to grow our economy and we’re trying to add jobs and put people back to work, this sends the wrong message,” said Floyd Shechter, owner and operator of Donelson-based commercial real estate investment firm SmartSpace. “It’s a message that doesn’t say we’re a warm, inviting and inclusive community for business.”

Shechter is treasurer of the Nashville for All of Us committee that helped defeat a separate English-only initiative in Nashville in 2009 that would have required all government business to be conducted solely in English.

ProEnglish gave $82,500, or 92 percent of the money in support of the effort. The Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., has tied ProEnglish founder John Tanton to hate groups including the Ku Klux Klan.

“The intervention of this Virginia group — again — into our community is pretty appalling,” Nashville chamber President and CEO Ralph Schulz said.

Schulz said ProEnglish is trying to advance its own agenda at the expense of Tennessee’s economy.

Pro-English advocates were apparently annoyed by Bridgestone after state committees approved an amendment they thought would appease business concerns by exempting foreign executives who are in the country legally for specific purposes.

Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfeesboro, who is sponsoring the bill in the Senate, said the law is necessary for safety reasons, and drivers who can’t understand road signs and message boards pose a risk to other drivers. He also said the law would provide a powerful incentive for immigrants to learn English.

“I don’t care what country you come from,” Ketron said. “I don’t care what color you are. All I ask is that if you are here, you assimilate and you learn the language.”

Tennessee currently offers driver’s license exams in English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean, and is testing a German version of the test. Nine states have English-only tests, according to media reports, and Tennessee joins seven other states that are considering proposals this year.

Ketron said he hadn’t seen Garcia’s blog post or the e-mail from ProEnglish, but said he wouldn’t call Bridgestone an un-American company.

This isn’t the first time the debate has turned ugly. Rep. Tony Shipley, R-Kingsport, told a Volkswagen lobbyist that his comments spoke “closely to blackmail” at a March 9 hearing. Volkswagen, which is building a $1 billion plant in Chattanooga, has raised concerns similar to Bridgestone’s.

“Volkswagen values diversity and inclusion,” spokeswoman Jill Bratina said in a statement e-mailed to the Nashville Business Journal. “We do not oppose this bill because we need the tests in German, but because it is contradictory to the principles we hold important.”

In a prepared response to the calls and e-mails she has received, Karbowiak states that Bridgestone Americas is concerned “this legislation sends a very negative message to the many existing international businesses in Tennessee.”

Karbowiak also refuted the claim that Bridgestone was endangering Tennessee motorists.

“By limiting the languages by which the licensing process is conducted, we limit the state’s ability to ensure that those on the road are safe and educated drivers,” she said.

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